Kosher consumers are buying more poultry than ever before, retailers say. Stepped up production of chicken by many purveyors, led by Empire of Mifflintown PA, has stabilized the supply of chicken, as opposed to the sporadic availability of beef in many markets.
The surge in demand comes at a time when the cost for kosher poultry has hit record prices with most charging above $2.50 lb and some stores charging as much as $2.89 a lb. Retailers say that many of their customers have simply given up on beef and are now routinely buying more poultry.
Julie Jacobson, a manager at Roslyn Kosher Foods in Albertson, said poultry is up “maybe 30 percent.”
More poultry will also be arriving from Postville, where a bankruptcy court on Monday allowed a resumption in the production of some of the 750,000 chickens owned by Agri that were being fed at a cost of $50,000 a day. A bankruptcy judge in New York’s Eastern District awarded the company $2.5 million in advances from First Bank Business Capital of St. Louis to finance plant operations through Dec. 12th.
Some retailers who have relied on Agriprocessors for years are making arrangements with other purveyors to supply kosher beef. Steve Ravitz, owner of the Kosher Experience at ShopRite in Cherry Hill is said to have made such an arrangement with an Agri competitor, promising customers a resumption of the supply of kosher beef. “Hopefully, we’ll be back to 100 percent by next week,” said Mr. Ravitz. He said that supplies of beef have been spotty, but chicken has been available.
Chicken sales in the general market have gone up 6.7% in 2008, three times the overall growth rate for retail and foodservice meat, according to The Fresh Meat Market in the U.S. Chicken was also good for 6.3% growth at retail in 2008, despite a dip in beef retail dollar sales and a nose dive for specialty meats.
(Source: KosherToday)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
7 Responses
As somebody who’s in the business, the supply of beef has stabilized and its now easier to get beef than chicken.
Here we go, Esrog for $150.00, Matzah at $20.00 per pound, cheese cake $50.00, maybe a Kittel for $200.00, and at the end one bowl of chicken soup, $500.00
$2.89 a pound??!? Don’t I wish!!!
In my New York neighborhood, Empire is up to $3.49 a pound for whole chickens!!!!
How are we supposed to feed our families and guests?
I understand why there’s a shortage of beef but what happened to the bison from Solomon’s?? Wesley Kosher regularly carried it & thay have not been able to get any for months! Did the buffalo go on sitdown strike a la Sitting Bull?
A pound of Chicken $2.89 a pound, Tuition for a small child $10,000 a year, supporting your kollel son-in-law and daughter $35,000 a year, making a wedding $75,000. Venting on YWN, PRICELESS. There are some things in life, money can’t buy, for everything else, there is VISA!!!
How ironic. It looks like a baby chick is nesting at the top of the chicken.
I can’t dispute the chicken, and maybe in some places tuition is that high for a small child, but support is optional, and making a wedding can (should?) cost quite a bit less.